Tag Archives: opportunity

Shelley Callahan | En Español

Located twenty minutes from downtown New Orleans, the city’s eastern 9th Ward is a tight-knit community of over 65,000 residents. “The East,” as most locals call it, started off in the 1960s as a suburban-style area within the city limits. Beginning in the mid-1980s, this region began to decline into a state of poverty. The city’s public schools system, notorious for being one of the worst in the country, only perpetuated the problem into the next generation. Then came the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

In the storm’s wake, countless businesses – and even hospitals – opted not to re-open, leaving the residents of an already-troubled community severely underserviced. Recovery has been slow. In an area prone to crime and littered with abandoned buildings and homes, kids face significant barriers to their ability to succeed in school.

In addition to having difficulty concentrating in school, some of the children lost their homes for a second time in their young lives.

At the ReNEW Schaumburg Elementary School, staff work hard to help children overcome these obstacles. Founded in 1965, the school was originally part of the New Orleans public schools system. It became a ReNEW charter school in 2013; and today, it is the largest school in the city, with 875 children in grades kindergarten through eight. The dedicated faculty strives to innovatively prepare students for college and beyond, providing personalized attention to each student’s educational and non-academic needs. The ReNEW Schaumburg Elementary School also offers an advanced Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) lab and a world-class library.

When disaster strikes

In February of 2017, a tornado severely damaged the ReNEW Schaumburg Elementary School building and the surrounding New Orleans East community. School was in session and children were in the building when the tornado struck. The administration, faculty, and staff earned acclaim from city officials for keeping the children safe and maintaining order during the tornado, and no one was injured.

Renée with Erin and one of our sponsored children

After the storm was over, the school was vacated for repairs. As kids were shifted to a temporary facility, they found themselves in overcrowded classrooms that were cramped and uncomfortable. Some of the children suffered emotional trauma due to having experienced the tornado and the transition to a new school. Their test scores dropped as a result of these factors.

In addition to having difficulty concentrating in school, some of the children lost their homes for a second time in their young lives. Students who were in grades six and above had lived through Hurricane Katrina, and now they faced yet another natural disaster in their short lifetimes. Twenty-five homes were damaged, and most of the families did not have renter’s insurance. As families worked to rebuild their lives, they lived with other families, often sleeping on couches in tight quarters.

Excited to read

Erin is our volunteer coordinator at ReNEW Schaumburg Elementary School. On a recent trip to visit the school, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, met with Erin. Erin told Renée that she loves our sponsorship program. While Erin focuses on providing basic needs such as clothing and shoes to our sponsored and unsponsored children, she is also a big believer in supporting literacy and a true love of reading. She participates in the Lollipop Book Club, through which she orders books for kids, and they receive a wrapped book and lollipop. Erin can shop for books by reader age or search by theme, such as John Newbery Medal winners. She said that the kids get really excited about their books.

Erin also expressed to Renée that she appreciates when sponsors send additional gifts to their sponsored children, because they allow her to take time to really be thoughtful and personal about the items she chooses for sponsored children. She often spends the extra funds on hygiene and grooming items – something that she feels the children need very often, especially while living in transitional environments.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN NEW ORLEANS?

You can sponsor a child in New Orleans in one of two ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members, or email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | En Español

The Encore Academy lies in the Milan neighborhood of New Orleans, a subdistrict of Central City in the Uptown region. The neighborhood dates back to the 1800s, and it grew to become the largest African American commercial district during the Jim Crow era. After desegregation, many African American families moved to other areas in the city, leaving many businesses and homes vacant. Currently, Central City has one of the highest murder and violent crime rates in New Orleans. Although the Encore Academy is able to offer students an education, it is an established charter school without a library.

Children at Encore Academy unfortunately don’t have a library at their school.

We are not exactly sure why the school, which is housed in a refurbished structure, does not include a library, whereas most of our other affiliated schools in the United States do. Not only are students lacking free books to borrow to help them with their education, but they are also required to purchase and wear a uniform to school, which creates a financial burden for their parents. While the uniforms downplay socioeconomic differences to foster school spirit and a sense of unity, the cost to families living in poverty is huge — especially when they have multiple children in school at the same time, and are already having a hard time making ends meet.

A growing population of students

Sponsorship support sometimes goes towards purchasing books so that children are not only reading in their leisure time at home, but they also have a sense of ownership when they might not otherwise while living in poverty.

The school hasn’t been able to expand enough to create a library for our sponsored and unsponsored children, but attendance at the Encore Academy is expanding fast. Since its founding in 2012, the school has grown from 220 students to over 550 in grades pre-kindergarten through eighth. The academy is an open-admissions charter school, which means that children from all over the city attend. Where it is lacking in books, the school does have a strong foundation in the arts, especially in music, as well as a before and after school program called Champ Camp. Run by our partnering organization at the Encore Academy, Communities In Schools (CIS), some of the camp’s enrichment activities include voice and theater production. In the past, Children Incorporated has provided Hope In Action funding to help with these important enrichment activities.

Giving children the gift of books

Since these children don’t have access to literature outside of school textbooks, sponsorship support sometimes goes towards purchasing books so that children are not only reading in their leisure time at home, but they also have a sense of ownership when they might not otherwise while living in poverty. Although we hope that the school will be able to establish a library for its students in the future, we are grateful for our sponsors, who are supporting children with basic needs and books so that they can obtain an education and have a brighter future.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN NEW ORLEANS?

You can sponsor a child in New Orleans in one of two ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members, or email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | En Español

We don’t usually relate recycling to helping deaf children, but at the Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf (FAID) in Lebanon, a project involving plastic bottle caps is doing just that. The children and administrators at FAID have started collecting plastic bottles caps. For every 600,000 caps they collect, the school recycles them for money that is used to buy a new hearing aid for a needy child in attendance, many of whom are Syrian refugee children. In addition to collecting bottle caps to purchase hearing aids, FAID is also using the empty plastic bottles, as well as old car tires, to paint and decorate for a sensory garden for the children as part of the recycling project.

About Lebanon

In addition to collecting bottle caps to purchase hearing aids, FIAD is also using the empty plastic bottles, as well as old car tires, to paint and decorate for a sensory garden for the children as part of the recycling project.

Renowned for its towering cedar trees, Lebanon boasts fertile valleys; snow-capped, ore-rich mountains; and – in a region where water is scarce – sixteen rivers that flow into the glistening Mediterranean Sea along Lebanon’s western coast. This small Middle Eastern country has an incredibly rich culture, evincing the influence of such illustrious civilizations as the Greek, Roman, Arab, Ottoman Turk, and French. However, Lebanon’s wealth of diversity has also contributed to its turbulent history.

Lebanon continues to suffer repercussions of a history riddled with wars – both civil and international. Poverty, unemployment, and the ever-present threat of war are tragic realities here. These are, perhaps, most pronounced in Beirut, the nation’s capital. Settled over 5,000 years ago, this historic city is Lebanon’s largest and primary seaport, but it is also afflicted with dire poverty and its socioeconomic effects.

Helping children cope with hearing loss

Needy children in Beirut not only face hardships when it comes to living in poverty, but those that attend FAID are also afflicted with the complications of their disability. Founded in 1957, FAID provides deaf children with a basic education, as well as with specialized training, to enable students to become self-sufficient. The school plays a crucial role in giving these hearing-impaired – and often destitute – children the opportunity to rise above the challenging circumstances that they face.

Currently, there are twenty Syrian refugee children registered at the school; and despite the difficulties that supporting them all financially presents, projects such as the recycling program and support from Children Incorporated sponsors are crucial to these vulnerable children receiving an education.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN LEBANON?

You can sponsor a child in Lebanon in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and search for a child in Lebanon that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | En Español

Last year, we received a wonderful donation of hundreds of pairs of shoes, thanks to a special donor, Rit,a who wanted to help children in Richmond, Virginia, where our office has been located since the organization’s inception more than fifty years ago. Rita spearheaded a massive shoe drive with local churches in response to the devastating Hurricane Harvey of 2017. Many of the shoes were shipped to Houston, but Rita set aside about 250 pairs specifically to help children in our program, because she strongly believes that children must have their basic needs met so that they may attend school and have the chance to succeed.

Upon receiving the donation of shoes, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, delivered the shoes to four of our Richmond projects: E.S.H. Greene Elementary School, T.C. Boushall Middle School, Elkhardt-Thompson Middle School, and Huguenot High School. The children were incredibly grateful for the shoes, and we are thankful for people like Rita who go above and beyond to help children in need!

Rita set aside about 250 pairs specifically to help children in our program, because she strongly believes that children must have their basic needs met so that they may attend school and have the chance to succeed.

Our history in Richmond, Virginia

Founded in 1609, Richmond is among the nation’s oldest cities, steeped in a history that spans the colonial era, Civil War era, and beyond. It is situated upon the picturesque James River, which winds its way from Appalachian tributaries into the Chesapeake Bay. It is also here in Richmond that Mrs. Jeanne Clarke Wood first founded Children Incorporated out of her home in 1964. Since then, we have moved our office to just outside of the city in North Chesterfield, Virginia, where our dedicated staff of fifteen works diligently to help children all over the globe, including in the City of Richmond Public Schools system, where we partner with Communities In Schools. Children Incorporated is currently affiliated with ten public schools in the city: seven elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school — all located south of the James River.

Quick facts about child poverty in Richmond

Despite its wealth of history, culture, diversity, and the arts, many areas of Richmond, Virginia struggle beneath poverty and its socioeconomic effects. Some facts about child poverty in the city include:

 – In 2015 (the most recent year for which data is available), the City of Richmond was home to 14,254 children who were living in poverty – a rate of 36.3%

– Between 2011 and 2015, children living in “deep poverty” were three times more likely to find themselves in the same circumstance as adults, and to experience greater toxic stress and negative experiences than children living in or above poverty. In the City of Richmond, these were an average of 9,604 children, or 25.1%

 – In 2015, children who were living in the City of Richmond and struggling with food insecurity were numbered at 7,910, or 20.1% – despite access to and the use of food stamps

– 1 in 7 children in Virginia struggles with hunger – a combination of charitable action and government assistance is necessary to help bridge the meal gap [source: Feeding America]

– There are 7 food banks that serve Virginia, including the Capital Area Food Bank in Richmond. Our volunteer coordinators tell us that many families have transportation barriers – especially grandparents and great grandparents raising children – and that they have difficulty accessing the food bank. Programs that let the children take food home are very helpful in overcoming these transportation barriers, and in ensuring that children have nutritious food [source: Feeding America]

– In general, children who live in the south side or east end of the city are poorer than those who live in the north side or west end

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA?

You can sponsor a child in Richmond in one of two ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members, or email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Children Incorporated | En Español

In 1964, Mrs. Jeanne Clarke Wood, our founder, visited Guatemala and discovered that in many poor communities, children had to work to help their impoverished families. “We found the need in Guatemala was even greater than we had thought,” Mrs. Wood wrote to a friend. “Children — even very small ones — roam the streets selling bits of candy or shoestrings, pencils or even lottery tickets, in a pitiful struggle to earn a living.”

Upon returning home from her trip, Mrs. Wood wrote letters to friends and family seeking assistance for the 95 children that she met on her journey.

Mrs. Wood pictured with a sponsored child in India.

Mrs. Wood was able to quickly connect each of the Guatemalan children with sponsors, thus establishing Children Incorporated and our first affiliated site. Within two years of visiting Guatemala, Mrs. Wood had expanded our child sponsorship program to ten different countries, including on Indian reservations in the United States. Today, with the loyal support of thousands of sponsors and financial contributors, Children Incorporated has blossomed into an organization that provides assistance in 20 countries, including in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, and that has assisted over 300,000 children worldwide. One affiliated site in Guatemala has grown to 250 sites around the globe.

Fond memories of our founder

Mrs. Wood was known for her hard work and dedication not only to our sponsored and unsponsored children, but to our volunteer coordinators and sponsors as well. She operated Children Incorporated out of her home for its first four decades, where she was extremely involved in most every aspect of the organization. She had a telephone on her bedside table, and she often answered incoming calls from our coordinators and sponsors well into the evening. Long-time supporters of Children Incorporated have recalled over the years speaking with Mrs. Wood late at night, and have commented that she never minded the interruption of her personal time.

Today, with the loyal support of thousands of sponsors and financial contributors, Children Incorporated has blossomed into an organization that provides assistance in 20 countries and has assisted over 300,000 children worldwide.

The staff of Children Incorporated was equally fond of Mrs. Wood. Mrs. Odell Dunavant, who worked for Children Incorporated alongside Mrs. Wood for many years, stated that there was never a day when she wanted to skip work; she loved her job at Children Incorporated because she loved and respected Mrs. Wood. Mr. Ronald Carter, our current President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Mrs. Wood treated her employees like family. She tried to do little things to make work life more like home life, including having gatherings and sharing meals with the staff. Mrs. Wood valued people; she was funny and personable.”

Mrs. Wood passed away in 2006, yet her legacy continues to touch the lives of children and families around the world. We are so proud to have stayed true to Mrs. Wood’s vision for almost fifty years: we continue to envision a world in which each and every child has the education, hope, and opportunity they need to build a better life.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD WITH CHILDREN INCORPORATED?

You can sponsor a child with Children Incorporated in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan |

As a child assistance organization, Children Incorporated understands well the correlation between children’s health and their ability to receive an education. We often hear from our volunteer coordinators at our affiliated projects in the United States and abroad that children living in poverty are at risk of falling behind in school. Our coordinators often note that children haven’t eaten over the weekend, so they are too hungry to concentrate in class; or sometimes that kids are sleep deprived because they don’t have a bed at home, and must sleep on the floor. Sometimes children suffer from poor hygiene, and they are too embarrassed to go to school at all. Without support, children from low-income households potentially miss out on the opportunity to receive an education, and to break the cycle of poverty from which they come.

By providing children with basic needs such as adequate clothes, shoes, hygiene items, and food, Children Incorporated supports their overall welfare.

Poverty is described as an economic state that does not allow for the provision of basic needs such as adequate food, clothing, and housing. In America today, children are the poorest segment of our society. 22 percent of children in the United States live below the federal poverty level, which is the highest rate of child poverty among developed countries in the world. Over the past 35 years, child poverty has increased in the United States due to various factors. Since the 1960s, the costs of housing and transportation have increased exponentially. Uneducated workers are earning less, the benefits that welfare programs offer have decreased in value, and the number of single-parent, female-headed households has increased.

Poverty affects more than just health

When parents aren’t able to provide adequately for their children, kids are subjected to health issues such as malnutrition and insufficient healthcare, which can lead to increases in school absences, tardiness, incidents of illness during class, and untreated health problems. Children from impoverished families are also more likely to be admitted to the hospital, which further increases the number of days on which they are absent from school. Poor families suffer from increased infant mortality rates, and poor children suffer from frequent and severe chronic diseases, like asthma, and lower immunizations rates.

Poverty affects not only children’s health, but their growth and development as well. Beyond physical well-being, living in an impoverished environment can create stressful situations for children, sometimes related to perpetual abuse or neglect. Poor households are often crowded, noisy, and in deteriorating structures where children may often witness violence and crime.

Children’s health and their education are intrinsically linked.

Kids may also be isolated from their peers, who could otherwise provide them with a support system. If parents aren’t able to supply children with the time and attention they need to feel safe and secure, children living in poverty in turn often suffer from trauma, which further affects their ability to learn. Children who are suffering from trauma related to poverty can often be withdrawn and unwilling to participate in class, or they may have behavioral issues. Trauma can also lead to depression, sleeping disorders, eating disorders, and attention deficit disorders — all of which can distract a child from receiving an education.

By providing children with basic needs such as adequate clothes, shoes, hygiene items, and food, Children Incorporated supports their overall welfare. These essentials, which we help to provide to children in need on a monthly basis, are vital to a child’s growth and success in school. Beyond ensuring that children are adequately provided for, our sponsorship program, in which we partner individual sponsors with a particular child, also provides an emotional support system that is a crucial factor in child development. If a child living in poverty is both mentally and physically healthy, they will have more opportunities in life.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD with Children Incorporated?

You can sponsor a child with Children Incorporated in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

References:

 Jensen, Eric. Teaching with Poverty in Mind. ASCD. Alexandria, Virginia. 2009.

 “Teaching Children from Poverty and Trauma”. National Education Association. Washington, D.C. June 2016.

Wood, David. “Effect of Child and Family Poverty on Child Health in the United States.” Pediatrics. September 2003, VOLUME 112/Issue Supplement 3.